"In Search of Excellence," by Peters and Waterman identifies one characteristic of corporate excellence as "unusual effort on the part of apparently ordinary employees." The community college has many students who fit into the category of "ordinary people." Their academic performance can be maximized by recognizing their individual differences, and finding solutions to the problems of curriculum, instructional delivery, and specialized student services that currently prevent the needed customizing of education. Some of the new knowledge and technology being introduced into education offers potential for customizing education. The computer, when operating interactively with the student and an instructor, offers a breakthrough toward individualized instruction and should be one of the new technologies to be used as an aid in instructional delivery. Another important challenge facing community colleges is to prepare students for thier futures as lifelong learners. To do so, the colleges must: (1) demonstrate to students their capacity for learning and the lifelong benefits of the skill; (2) help students develop cognitive skills; (3) instill positive attitudes toward and a sense of personal responsibility for learning; and (4) continue to provide multiple learning options. However, the actions of community colleges are often at odds with what has been discovered about individual differences and learning theory; this is so because of the use of the university as a role model and the critical problems with group instruction. This cognitive dissonance must be resolved if community colleges are to be successful in their search for excellence. (LAL)